Retro kitchens, hippie chic and other big trends at this year’s Interior Design Show

Toronto’s Interior Design Show, which kicked off Thursday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, is a great place to gawk at cool furniture and products. It’s also a good way to figure out what trends are lurking on the home-decor horizon. Amid the displays of sleek furniture, modern art and LED lighting at this year’s show, we noticed a few themes. Retro kitchen appliances were everywhere, as were outdoorsy embellishments (decorative honeycomb!) and ultra-refined wooden furniture—a relief, really, after years of barnboard-covered everything. More than a few displays gave off a funky ’60s and ’70s vibe with colourful geometric patterns and art deco details. And, of course, there were lots of clever designs for extremely small spaces, which should come in handy at a time when new condo units are barely breaking 300 square feet. Here, the five big decor trends at this year’s show.

At last year's show, the hottest kitchens were <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/style/toronto-homes/2014/01/24/25-best-products-interior-design-show-2014/slide/toronto-interior-design-show-2014-04/">super-sleek and almost invisible</a>. This year, we spotted a lot of colourful, retro appliances, like these 1950s-style fridges from Italian manufacturer <strong>Smeg</strong>. $1,000

Longstanding British cooking brand <strong>Aga</strong> has reintroduced its five-oven model (it comes with five ovens, two hot plates and a warming plate), which comes in pretty pastel colours. The exterior may appear retro, but the oven comes with touchscreen controls and a remote.

The biggest architectural feat of the show was this compact, livable cube (called “Cubitat”) designed by <strong>Urban Capital</strong> and <strong>Nichetto Studios</strong>. It fits everything you need in a very small space: four customizable sides hold a kitchen, bedroom and fully functional bathroom. So far it's just a prototype, but if it went into production it would probably cost around $60,000.

This modern “origami” chair, which was actually funded by a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/around/cut-and-fold-fun-modern-furniture" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign</a>, can be completely flattened. (That's actually the chair hanging on the wall). $700

To show off its collection of quartz countertops, this year <strong>Ceasarstone</strong> collaborated with designer <strong>Philippe Malouin</strong> to design a gigantic circular swing-set, with each seat displaying a different shade. And yes, you're allowed to swing on them: “It allows people to be a part of the installation without forcing it,” explained Malouin.

For 2015, instead of being rustic and rugged, wooden furniture and accessories were immaculately finished and refined. <strong>Coolican and Company</strong>, a new Toronto-based design firm that specializes in small-batch furniture, makes these minimalist barstools ($490) and benches ($880) out of Ontario woods like maple.